POSIDONIA, the Greek biennial international shipping exhibition held in June, has been postponed to October.

The exhibition will now go ahead at the Athens Metropolitan Expo, its usual venue in recent years, from October 26 to October 30, the organisers said.

They cited “the escalating challenges we all face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the need to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our exhibitors and visitors” for the decision.

The event company also said it was complying with World Health Organisation and Greek government guidelines.

There had been speculation in recent weeks about whether the event could go ahead in view of the global spread of the virus and a cascade of cancellations among other events in the shipping industry and beyond.

The exhibition is notable not only for its scope and for attracting thousands of visitors but also for being the hub of dozens if not hundreds of satellite events including conferences, seminars, receptions and private parties.

“Given the uncertainty currently surrounding our original dates, the international character of Posidonia and the pressure our exhibitors and visitors are under in actioning now their travel and logistical arrangements as well as the shipment of their exhibits, we concluded that we could not delay this decision any longer,” said Posidonia Exhibitions.

“We have taken this step in consultation with Posidonia’s supporting organisations who have confirmed their agreement and support for the October dates. We believe that taking action at this time was necessary for the benefit of our exhibitors, our visitors and the exhibition itself,” it added.

Posidonia in 2018 included more than 2,000 exhibitors and attracted over 23,000 visitors.